Exploring the Business Value that South African Services-Oriented Micro-businesses Derive from Mobile Applications

Abstract

Small and Micro-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) play a significant role in economic development, job creation, and poverty alleviation. Despite the many advantages SMEs provide for an economy, they still face a range of challenges and have an alarming survival rate. This study examines the business value that organisations derive from the adoption of mobile applications, considering the positive impact that digital technologies can have on an organization's success. This research focuses on SMEs which are classified as personal service establishments in the Western Cape. The study was guided by a conceptual framework that combines the Technology-Organization-Environment framework, the Technology Acceptance Model, and the M-Business Value model. A thematic analysis approach was used to analyze the data collected through semi-structured interviews. The research shows that the value SMEs derive from mobile app users is a result of the apps being used to drive both sales and marketing and streamline internal operations. Based on these findings, SMEs found that they could derive business value from mobile applications when it was aligned with the task required.